Earning a Warrior Name
by Hikaru-Bubbles
Summary: Quickpaw is an ordinary apprentice. The only thing is, she's the daughter of the ThunderClan leader. And that's the only thing she's seen as. On top of that, her father seems to be getting harder on her every day. Will Quickpaw ever get her warrior name?
1. Characters

Okay, so those weeks of writer's block lasted for many months… xP But I am back! It bugs me that I haven't been updating the story. Sadly, I don't have the next chapter ready yet. But it is Monday, so I feel like I should put something up, and although it should have been the first thing I put on here, I'm going to put up the pictures of the characters! Or, well, as close as the cats in the pictures can come to the characters! xD Some of the characters won't be on here, and that's because I have yet to find pictures that match their descriptions!

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**Quickpaw:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/kitten-02-1.jpg

**Tailchaser:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/tailchaser.jpg

**Russetpaw:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/IMG0951a.jpg

**Lionstar:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/tabby-cat-tiger.jpg

**Hollytail:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/tabbycat.jpg

**Bristleclaw:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/Tamara004.jpg

**Snowtail:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/climbing-tabby-cat.jpg

**Spottedstar:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/ZUKI9M3.jpg

**Aspentail:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/aspenpaw.jpg

**Ashstar:**

i78./albums/j113/kyonkichi1/1212.jpg


	2. Chapt 1: The Argument

Well, this story is pretty much the only one I really update, so here it is! I'll be updating the chapters every Monday. The time will be varied, but it _will_ be on Mondays!

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**Chapter One**_**  
**_

_**A**__n ordinary field mouse was tending to his business:_ eating, sleeping, and gathering food. But the mouse took its focused, big black eyes off of work unexpectedly, and lifted his tiny nose to sniff the air around it.

Finally deciding all was clear for now, the rodent set back to work again. It was tired and wanted to get back to its burrow and get some sleep, but first, it would have to finish gathering bedding for itself and its mate.

The mouse was unaware that it was being watched- no It was being hunted. Almond-shaped green eyes with black slits for pupils were staring intently at its prey.

Three, two, one, SWISHT!

A peach-colored cat with orange-brown tabby stripes struck at the field mouse with claws unsheathed, instantly killing it. The she-cat daintily picked up her fresh-kill, careful not to leave too many teeth marks of her finely sharpened canines imprinted on the mouse's fragile skin.

"That's a pretty small catch, don't you think, Quickpaw?" asked a big scruffy looking brown tom to the tabby.

"Oh quiet, Mudpaw," the she-cat snapped between the kill In her mouth, determined not to let the tom irritate the nine lives she had out of her. "I worked hard to catch it, and I'm proud of my work," she meowed, puffing her chest fur out to show her big self esteem. "Besides," she meowed, "you're probably just jealous!"

The tom's fur stood up defensively. "I am not!" he squeaked.

Quickpaw chuckled at his kit-ish behavior. "Whatever gets you through the day," she mewed, trotting past him victoriously. She tapped her unusually long, stripy tail lightly on his nose teasingly as she walked by.

Mudpaw scowled at the perky she-cat. "Girls…" he grumbled under his breath, stalking off to hunt some more.

On her way back to camp, Quickpaw saw many familiar cats.

There was Thunderstorm, a solid gray tom with huge paws. This warrior was known for his amazing patience with his somewhat incapable apprentices and undying loyalty to ThunderClan.

Then there was Goldenpelt, the medicine cat. The goddess-like she-cat was mending an over-playful kit's paw pads with some kind of herb or another. Her tail was normal until the very tip. It was always puffy, and it seemed as if the she-cat were always mad or frightened. On the contrary though. She was by far the calmest cat in the Clan, and always had some good advice to share with troubled ones.

There was one cat in particular, though, that caught Quickpaw's eye. He was an orange tabby, just like her, only more burnt orange on an occasional stripe or two. The tip of his tail was creamy white. He was one of RiverClan.

Quickpaw's tail twitched happily. Checking to see if anyone was around first, she pranced toward the tom.

"Tailpaw!

The tom glanced around before jumping out of the bushes and greeting her in the same way. His eyes shined with spirit, and his muscles rippled under his shining coat whenever he used them as he did then. "Not anymore it isn't," he meowed proudly, "It's Tail_chaser_ now! I was made a warrior just two moons ago!"

"Wow!" the she-cat mewed in awe. It seemed as if he were a different cat now that he had his warrior name!

Tailchaser smiled. "Nice catch!" he meowed, pawing at the apprentice's catch with a paw.

Quickpaw's eyes glowed at his tiny comment. He alway seemed to make her feel better whenever her Clan mates teased or irritated her. That's why she liked him so much. She muffled a "thank you" through the fresh-kill in her jaws. She flicked her tail happily to touch his.

"Want to go down to the river today, Quickpaw?" the newly named warrior inquired. "I was thinking that maybe we could catch some fish before sunset."

"That sounds great!" she exclaimed. "Let me drop this off at the fresh-kill pile, and I'll be right over!"

Tailchaser nodded and trotted off in the direction of the river.

Quickpaw rushed to the fresh-kill pile as soon as she could, and hurriedly dropped the limp mouse on the mound of still-soft carcasses. _I'd better hurry before __he thinks I decided not to go…_she thought, starting to lope out of camp.

"And where are you going, apprentice?

Quickpaw gulped before turning around. Sure enough, it was Bristleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy. Even in broad daylight, his black and tufts of brown fur on his back didn't shine in any way. She quickly thought of an excuse to get out of the camp as soon as possible." Goldenpelt needs to restock on some healing herbs; you know, poppy seeds, cob webs, goldenrod poultice…"

The deputy snorted. "Hurry back," he meowed gruffly. "At least be back by sun down."

The apprentice nodded, and scurried a way to the river.

------

After much successful hunting and enjoyable splashing, the pair of cats took the scenic route back to Fourtrees. They soon said their goodbyes and, both smiling, parted ways.

As Quickpaw trotted quietly into the den, she hummed a soft, energetic tune she'd been taught when she was just a kit.

Yellow eyes glared menacingly at her through the darkness. "Where have you been?" demanded the eyes' voice. It was somewhat gruff and full of impatient anger.

"Father," she began, slightly pinning her ears back in surprise, "I was out hunting."

"With?"

Quickpaw winced. She knew this question would have come up sooner or later. "With, um, Tailchaser," she mumbled, uttering her friend's name in a barely audible whisper.

"What?!" her father boomed, seeming to make his voice known throughout half the camp.

The young she-cat felt like melting into the stone. Even being laughed at by the Clan's most respected warriors was better than hearing that tone of voice.

"What have I told you about him?" he growled. He bared his teeth; his ivory fangs seemed to illuminate the dark shelter somewhat.  
Without letting her answer, he snarled, "I told you to never go anywhere near that RiverClan cat, _ever_!"

"But he's my friend!" Quickpaw cried. "Just because he's not from our Clan—"

"He is the son of Demonstar, a traitor to all Clans. What makes you think his son is any different?"

"For one thing, he's nothing like his father ever was!" she retorted, lashing her puffed up tail all about.

"You're betraying your Clan by seeing him!"

"I would never be disloyal to my Clan!" Quickpaw yowled furiously.

Her blood was boiling at this point from the anger and frustration her father was causing her.

Her father looked startled for the first time since the quarrel began.

"Lionstar, what's wrong?" a drowsy, yet still melodic voice mewed. It belonged to Quickpaw's mother, Hollytail.

Quickpaw's father glanced at his mate. "It's nothing Hollytail. We were just getting to sleep." He meowed decisively, giving his daughter a commanding look.

They heard nothing else from the sleepy she-cat.

True to his word, Lionstar laid down next to Hollytail and rested his head on his paws. Quickpaw saw the yellow eyes disappear in the darkness. She suddenly yawned, and half closing her eyes, dropped down in a far off corner in the very back of the den. She too laid her head on her paws, and slept.


	3. Chapt 2: Training

Phew! Took me a while to actually upload chapter 2! It said something was wrong with the file... But thanks to my brilliant mind (Funny, yes?), I managed to fix whatever the problem... might have... been (I just guessed...). Anyway... On to the story!

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** Chapter Two  
**

"Quickpaw_, eet is time to get up." _A paw gently prodded at the she-cat's side.

Quickpaw's eyes sprung open as she recognized the voice that aroused her. She jumped up and beamed at her mentor. "Snowtail!"

The warrior's coat glimmered in the still rising sun Her hundred shades of brown, black, and pure white tail were especially striking this morning. The young apprentice had always loved to admire her mentor's fur whenever she could. She also enjoyed hearing Snowtail's accent. She wasn't quite sure where she came from before she became a ThunderClan cat, but it sounded very soothing to her.

Snowtail smiled back at her apprentice. "Eet is training time. Are you vready?" she asked.

"Oh yes!" Quickpaw exclaimed, already bouncing out of the den. Snowtail chuckled at the eager she-cat. "I sought zat today, we should work on your fighting skills and techniques," she began.

"Okay, let's go!" Quickpaw meowed, urging her mentor to come along with her.

"I vas also sinking we should discuss ze warrior code."

The apprentice stopped in her tracks.

"Your fazer told me," Snowtail sighed. "You know eet is against ze warrior code, do you not, Quickpaw?"

The orange tabby scuffed her paw on the dirt. "Yes, Snowtail," she mumbled.

"If you keep seeing zat tom, you will soon regret it. Your fazer only goes easy on you because you are his daughter. Don't take advantage of zat."

"Yes, Snowtail..."

"I would hate eet if you were exiled from SunderClan. You are von of my more talented apprentices. So for me as vell, vill you stay away from zat… Tailpouncer?"

How could she ask that? Tailchaser was her best friend! There was no way she could just stop meeting him. But, just to satisfy her mentor, Quickpaw corrected, "It's Tailchaser." She then lied, "Yes, Snowtail."

"Very vell zen." the mentor concluded. She saw her apprentice's head hang down low in shame. She removed her stern face, and replaced it with her usual, gentle one. She gave Quickpaw an affectionate lick on the cheek before meowing, "Okay. Are you vready to practice your fighting?"

The young she-cat's eyes immediately brightened, and she nodded quickly.

The two cats headed out to the training rock. They walked briskly through the gorse tunnel, and slipped through trees and bushes, barely making a sound.

As they came to the sandy hollow, another warrior mentor and apprentice were leaving. It was Brackenfur and Smallpaw. The two pairs of cats nodded to each other, and promptly left.

They're not very talkative today, are they?" Quickpaw asked her mentor.

Snowtail's ears twitched. "No, I suppose zey are not," she mewed quietly. She shook her head to clear away her thoughts. "Yes, vell, are you vready, Quickpaw?" She crouched into her attacking pose.

Quickpaw simply nodded, doing the same. Somewhat having a plan, she leaped at the warrior, aiming for her back.

Snowtail easily dodged the attack and grabbed her apprentice by the scruff of the neck. With a surprised yowl, Quickpaw was instantly pulled down to the ground, landing hard on her side. The wind was knocked out of her briefly, giving Snowtail the chance to give the finishing blow. But instead of doing that, she sighed.

"Once again, you fail to make a strategy, or even predict how I might move. You _must_ do zat. Do you understand?" mewed the mentor, sounding unusually impatient.

"Yes, Snowtail," answered a surprised Quickpaw.

"Now try again."

They both went into their attacking positions yet again.

This time, Snowtail attacked first. She lunged at the apprentice with incredible speed and power.

Barely having time to move, Quickpaw scrambled out of the way.

They both stopped and swerved to face each other.

For a while, they just circled each other, studying one another, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Suddenly, Quickpaw lunged at her mentor's chest. Snowtail had no time to react, and the apprentice barreled

into her.

With Snowtail thrashing wildly about, Quickpaw had a hard time keeping her pinned down. After struggling for a few more moments, Snowtail gave up her fight.

"Very good job, Quickpaw!" she exclaimed, clearly in a better mood than before.

The apprentice glowed with pride at her mentor's praise.

"Zat is enough training for today," Snowtail meowed, pulling herself to her paws. "Would you like to go hunting vith me? Eet is still a vile before sunhigh, and ze Clan could alvays use some fresh-kill.

Quickpaw nodded. "Would I ever!"

The two bounded off without another word.

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So, did you likey? Thick accent Snowtail has, huh? Where ever could she have come from? xP

If you liked it, you should give me reviews! I love those. Know why? 'Cause I need to know how good my writing is! Do I need a wider vocabulary? Is the story hard to follow? Or is it the most awesome story ever? Tell me! Give me... _INSPIRATION_: D


	4. Chapt 3: Will I ever be anything else?

Well, here's the third addition to _Earning a Warrior Name_! I hope everyone that's read it so far has liked it. I especially appreciate the reviews from mothwing'slove:3 Thank you very much!

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**Chapter Three**

_**T**__he two cats came back to the camp with__ a chaffinch_, a couple of plump voles, and a small field mouse.

Quickpaw took one of the voles for herself, and settled down under her favorite spot: a bushy sapling that gave plenty of shade to any cat.

"I see you've gotten back a little later than usual, huh, Quickpaw?" asked a small, black apprentice with a white muzzle. It was Whitepaw. Her mentor was Thunderstorm, the gray warrior with splashes of pure white in his coat.

Quickpaw could almost always guarantee wherever Thunderstorm was, the little she-cat apprentice would be somewhere near him, ready to follow orders, or stand beside him, waiting for orders coming from him. In fact, it almost seemed as if she had been struck with "kitten love" for her mentor.

Quickpaw nodded, taking a bite of her vole. "We did some hunting before we came back," she meowed.

"Do you know when we'll be assessed?" the apprentice asked, chewing on part of her sparrow, held by her coal-black paws.

Quickpaw shrugged, chomping on yet another piece of rodent. "Just because I'm the daughter of ThunderClan's leader doesn't mean I know everything, does it?"

"Well, the sooner, the better. I can't wait to be a warrior!" the she-cat exclaimed. I'll catch twice as many fresh-kill as any other apprentice has!" Whitepaw hissed enthusiastically, swiping one of her paws at an imaginary enemy. "Including you," she added, playfully pinning her ears down.

"Yeah, you wish!" the orange tabby replied, pinning her ears down in return.

They both launched at each other at once, rolling and tussling around on the ground. Whitepaw got in a good scratch or two, but Quickpaw got the best of her friend. She soon pinned Whitepaw down, grinning triumphantly.

"All right, all right, I get it!" Whitepaw yowled, frustrated at her fairly easy defeat. When Quickpaw let her go, the young she-cat immediately went to work, smoothing her ruffled fur.

Quickpaw could tell she was embarrassed

"Whitepaw. It's time to train." It was Thunderstorm.

"Okay," the black apprentice nodded obediently, falling in behind him. She stopped following her mentor for moment, and whispered to Quickpaw, "Guess what? I finally get to go on sunhigh patrol! Cool, huh?

Quickpaw nodded once before she heard Thunderstorm's voice. "Whitepaw! Are you coming, or are you just going to sit in the camp all day?"

Whitepaw immediately rushed to his side. "No way! I'm coming with you!" she purred. Looking back at her friend, she called, "See you later, Quickpaw!"

"Yeah… later," the she-cat mumbled, watching them go. She wished Snowtail would let her do the same. Did she think she still wasn't ready to go on a patrol? The apprentice was hurt as she thought about this. If she couldn't even join her mentor on patrols, was she even good enough to be a warrior? She shook her head. _No, I'm sure Snowtail has a good reason for not taking me along on the patrols…_

Lionstar padded up to his daughter. "So, how's your training going?" he asked, as if nothing had happened the night before

"Okay, I guess," she mumbled to the dirt.

"Just okay?"

"I guess."

"Oh," he meowed, wrapping his tail around his paws. "That's too bad. I was thinking that since you're such a good apprentice, you would like to come to the Gathering tonight. But, if you're just doing 'okay'…" He slowly got up and had started to walk away, when Quickpaw's eyes widened in surprise. The Gathering was an important night for all the Clans. On the night of the Gathering, they held a sacred truce to one another to talk about things going on in the forest, or faced StarClan's wrath.

She leaped after her father and skidded to a halt in front of him, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Don't you know? I'm always doing my best at training to be a warrior!" she meowed insistently. "I'm plenty fit to go to the Gathering tonight."

Her father's eyes filled with laughter. "Splendid." Quickpaw nodded once, and padded away to join Smallpaw, who had just come back from hunting with his mentor, Brackenfur. The small tom loped hungrily to the fresh-kill pile, and dragged out a fleshy pigeon for himself.

He must have been out for a long time, the she-cat thought. She wasn't sure if she should talk to him, now that he was eating as if he hadn't eaten anything in a hundred moons.

She changed course, and headed to the nursery. It had been a while since she had visited to see the newest additions to ThunderClan, anyway. She nodded to a few passing cats on her way, and nudged her nose through the small opening.

Morningcloud and Featherfoot were the only ones in there, and all the kits seemed to be alive and well. Morningcloud's two kits were suckling their mother's milk, and Featherfoot's kit was climbing all over her.

Featherfoot's other two kits had died from greencough last leafbare, which hadn't been too long ago. All the cats had mourned for the lost future warriors, or possibly medicine cats. Especially the gray queen. But after that, she always paid extra attention to her only kit, and showered him with praise and lavished him with loving licks whenever he did something good.

Featherfoot glanced up to see the apprentice. "Come in," she mewed. By now, her kit had already tired itself out. A small yawn escaped him, and he looked surprised at his own action.

Quickpaw chuckled at the comical kit. "How's Bluekit coming along?" she asked.

"He's doing just fine," the queen replied. "He certainly is energetic though."_  
_

_So at least he's making up for his lost kin_, Quickpaw thought. She didn't dare say it out loud though, fearing her words would bring back unwanted memories for the gray she-cat. So she just nodded and said, "I'm sure he'll make a fine apprentice when he's old enough."

Featherfoot nodded back. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from Bramblestar's daughter." She looked up and smiled. "Maybe you could even mentor him yourself. You'll be a warrior by then, surely."

The orange tabby looked taken aback, but gave the queen a small smile in return. Although, the little comment made Quickpaw's fur stand on end. That's almost all she was to these cats. The daughter of the ThunderClan leader. Would she ever be anything else?

"Quickpaw? Are you alright?" a concerned Featherfoot asked, tilting her head with worry,

Quickpaw shook her head. "I'm fine. Really" Turning around, she meowed, "Well, I should be going."

By the time she left, Bluekit had fallen asleep, and his furry, curled up body slowly rose and fell contently. Featherfoot whispered a farewell to the apprentice and turned to her one and only kit. She smiled warmly at the sleeping kit, giving him one tender lick on the forehead.


	5. Chapt 4: The Badger

Chapter four is up! Thanks for all the reviews guys! They really help me! School's started for me today, so it'll be hard to keep up with every Monday having a new chapter. But I'll try my hardest to be on time with my updates! . I shall find a way!

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**Chapter Four  
**

_**B**y the time Quickpaw had gotten to the apprentice den,_ Smallpaw and Russetpaw, a dark ginger tom, were there sharing tongues.

"Did you hear about that badger they discovered at Snakerocks a few hours ago?" asked Russetpaw to Smallpaw.

The smaller apprentice nodded, wide-eyed. "I hear it's got kits, too. When do you think it'll leave?"

"You mean if it ever decides to…"

_A badger?_ Quickpaw knew they rarely stayed in ThunderClan territory, but it still happened every now and again. The last time she heard of a badger being on ThunderClan territory was when Silverstar, the leader before her father, was a deputy.

"I hear they're even fiercer when they have kits to protect!" Russetpaw added.

Quickpaw finally decided to enter the den instead of silently listening in on the two toms' conversation.

When she stepped into the den, Russetpaw looked surprised to see her. "Quickpaw!" He ran up to her and gave her a friendly lick on the shoulder.

Smallpaw just rolled his eyes at the tabby she-cat. He had never liked Quickpaw to begin with. He mostly didn't like her because she was the Clan leader's daughter. It seemed as if she had always gotten it easier than the other ThunderClan cats. Even when they first met, he could tell she was different from the other kits in the nursery when they were younger.

The she-cat nodded a greeting to both cats. "So," she meowed, "what's this about a badger?" Her eyes were filled with unrestrained curiosity.

"What? You were here when we were talking about that?" Russetpaw asked, his pointed ears witching.

"Well, yes," she answered hesitantly. "But I didn't want to seem rude and interrupt…"

"You already were when you decided to eavesdrop on our little chat," Smallpaw scoffed.

Quickpaw scowled at his snarky attitude. "Well maybe you shouldn't talk so loud," she argued. "You speak as loud as a dog walks!"

"Oh yeah?" he hissed.

"Yeah!"

"Hey! You guys!" Russetpaw stepped in between the two livid cats in front of him.

"What?!" they both yowled, turning to face him with tails lashing. They glared and spat at each other again as they realized they had said the same thing in unison. Their hackles were raised.

Russetpaw sighed. "Quickpaw, I just remembered. Goldenpelt asked me to go fetch some goldenrod and some kind of root. Would you like to help me?"

"Fine," she answered, still glaring at Smallpaw.

The smaller apprentice hissed a loud, "Good riddance."

With a final hiss, the two apprentices separated.

As Quickpaw and Russetpaw padded through the gorse tunnel into the forest, Quickpaw noticed they were going the wrong way to the goldenrod patch. They should have been heading west, but they were actually traveling northwest.

"Um, Russetpaw? You do know we're going the wrong way, right?" she asked, a bit concerned for her friend.

"Hm?" The brown tom seemed slightly taken aback by her voice. "Oh, I don't know," he answered finally. "I just made up that excuse to get you and Smallpaw away from each other."

"You lied?!" the she-cat gasped.

She never knew the dark ginger tom was capable of lying. He had always been an honest and respectable apprentice cat.

"Well, technically, but not really."

"You're planning on getting the herbs on the way back?"

"I suppose."

After more quiet walking, they came to Snakerocks. _My paws didn't lead us here on purpose, did they?_ Quickpaw thought to herself, although barely caring.

"Uh, Quickpaw, do you think we should even be here right now?" Russetpaw gulped.

"No," she stated bluntly, her voice full of excitement.

"Then, shouldn't we… go?" He slipped away quietly to hide himself in a nearby bush.

"Not yet. I want to see the badger." She padded onward, leaving her friend to decide on his own whether or not to go with her.

The dark ginger tom immediately stopped cowering in the bush. "Well, I'm not going to leave you all by yourself," he mewed, trying to sound, as well as look, confident. He puffed his chest fur out and looked at her to try and convince her of his "courage".

"I can protect myself fine, thanks," she hissed irritably. "I'm not a helpless little kit."

"Okay, okay!" Russetfur's pelt instantly smoothed at the stinging words; he looked slightly hurt.

Quickpaw saw this, and, getting the idea he was trying to sound brave for her, quietly apologized; she dipped her head gently.

The tom happily accepted her apology; they padded on, with their ears pricked, swiveling towards the rustling of twigs swirling on the rocks; the wind whispering unidentifiable messages to them.

When they stalked through the bushes into Snakerocks, the apprentices, fully alert, glanced around at their surroundings. Nothing seemed wrong, so the orange tabby she-cat motioned with one of her creamy white paws for her friend to follow after her.

"Q-Quick—"

"Shh!" she hissed quietly. "Do you _want_ to be crow-food?"

Russetpaw cringed in fear at the word "want", and shook his head feebly.

"Then keep it down!" she said, curtly turning around to look back in front of her.

The rocks that so often held snakes seemed strangely silent. Even Snakerocks wasn't usually this quiet. The wind seemed to bring the few leaves there were to life, and the tunnels where adders usually made homes in were in some weird way or not, deserted.

As they continued on their way, the dark-coated tom smelled something. As he tasted the air, he suddenly recognized the foul, bitter stench of a badger; maybe even two; his eyes widened, he shook his head back and forth frantically to get the she-cat's attention.

Quickpaw looked up from her sniffing frenzy to see Russetpaw shaking his head violently. She cocked her head questioningly at him, slightly confused. _What's he doing that for?_ she silently asked herself. Then it hit her. First on the nose, then the ears. Her nose scrunched up in disgust. There was some scrabbling going on in a nearby cave, and she was determined to check it out, knowing, almost willing, the badger to be inside. Before entering, she turned to her best friend. "Are you ready?" she asked.

The tom shivered from head to tail. "No."

"Good," Quickpaw said absentmindedly.

She silently stalked toward the cave, the young tom reluctantly close behind. As she silently walked into the cave, it turned dark. She opened her eyes wider in a slight panic, to get her eyes used to the darkness. Her friend let out a faint squeak when the same happened to him. She gave a glance at the darkness behind her, and turned back around. Finally getting used to the lighting, Quickpaw saw what the cave looked like. It was comfortably roomy, besides the sharp-looking, dagger-like pieces of stone at the top. It seemed as if they could drop and pierce through anything at any second.

Suddenly, both of the apprentices heard a menacing growl rumble throughout the cave. Two yellow-white dots appeared just a couple tail-lengths away from their noses.

It was the badger

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Tada! The first cliffhanger! Well, not really, but... oh well. Now I _really_ have to work hard (juggling both school _and_ writing at the same time). -.-;; 

Yup, can't _wait_ for _that_.[/sarcasm


	6. Chapt 5: Best Friends

Hye everyone! It was difficult, but I did it! Yeah, just wait until I get serious writer's block and can't write anything for weeks! Let's hope that doesn't happen. xD

Thanks for all the reviews yet again. And yes, I was wondering if anyone would get the Tailchaser spoof! That's like, one of the best stories ever, and I honestly couldn't think of any other cat that could possibly be her friend:3

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**Chapter 5**

_**T**__he two apprentices froze on the spot._ Their hackles were raised and their tails were three times their original size.

Saliva dripped from the badgers fangs; it obviously hadn't eaten in a while. And behind the livid creature was a tiny black and white form. It had to have been the badger's kit.

Quickpaw curled her lip at the foe and gave a low warning growl that echoed throughout the small cave. She knew talking would do no good. Badgers couldn't speak the Clans' language.

Russetpaw tried to give the badger a convincing warning growl, but instead it came out as a feeble squeak. His courage had apparently left him at the moment.

The she-cat looked back at him and gave her friend a "you're hopeless" look.

As soon as her back was turned, the badger lunged at her, its claws unsheathed, fangs bared. Quickpaw felt a burning sensation as the animal's sharp and powerful claws raked right through her thin tabby coat and tore into her skin. She squinted in pain, but because of pure instinct, she came back with a counter-attack, determined to do heavy damage to her enemy

Her attack was successful. Her razor sharp canines sank into the scruff of the badger's neck. As the animal spun in circles and made figure eights, the tabby cat tried as hard as she could just to hang on. It got harder and harder, and she was starting to lose her grip on the loose skin.

With a desperate attempt to stop the badger from making her slip any further, she lashed out her claws at the badger.

It screamed in agony as she slashed it directly on the left eye. Its screams were deafening, and the badger kit was yelping in confusion, as well as fright.

"Wow! That was awesome, Quickpaw!" the dark colored apprentice meowed in delight behind her.

Quickpaw whirled around, grinning; she gave the tom a cheerful, "Thank you!"

But in the badger's blind fury, it gave one last wild strike with one of her giant paws at the she-cat.

"QUICKPAW! WATCH OUT!"

When the she-cat turned her head, she was stricken with so much shock, she just couldn't bring herself to move. She could see her short life flashing right before her eyes. Most of them involving Tailchaser. She wished she could have seen him one last time before she died. She shut her eyes tightly waiting for the finishing blow; suddenly, she felt herself being shoved aside, and fell hard on her right side. When she opened her eyes, she really wished she hadn't.

She saw the figure of her friend in a heap on the ground. In an attempt to save Quickpaw, Russetpaw had risked his own life, and had been slammed against the wall of the cave and fell to the cold, hard ground. He wasn't moving.

The badger was lying next to him, not dead, simply too tired and in too much pain to retaliate any longer; its sides were heaving, and its breaths were shallow. The kit was sniffing the ground, finding its blind way to its mother. It gave the mother a few barely audible squeaks, and the full-grown badger replied with a couple grunts and a snort at the end.

Quickpaw's widened eyes grew blurry as she stared at the lifeless apprentice only a couple tail lengths away from her paws. She stumbled over to him, and collapsed beside him, her teary eyes in his dark ginger pelt. "Why did you do that? You mouse-brain! Why? Russetpaw? Why did you do it?!" she yowled miserably.

She didn't know what she would do without her best friend. There was no other apprentice that understood her better than Russetpaw did. And what would the others say when they heard about this? What would her _father_ say? No doubt he'd think _she_ had led Russetpaw out of camp to go hunting for the badger.

She dug her snout further into Russetpaw's fur.

His body moved ever so slightly. "Ow… how will the pain go away… if you keep pushing me like that?" the dark tom murmured, partly opening his eyes.

The she-cat's head immediately snapped up and she looked at his face. It looked like he was in dreadful pain, yet he was still able to have a happy glimmer in his half-closed eyes.

"What?"

Russetpaw's body quivered. He was laughing. "You always were… the "worried mother"… type of cat…. weren't you?"

Quickpaw lowered her head, not allowing him to see her eyes. "You… you MOUSE-BRAIN!" she yowled furiously. "Why did you do that?!"

The tom was quiet for a long time; being the impatient feline she was, the silence was almost unbearable for the she-cat. She wanted him to answer, but it was like he couldn't find the right words to say what he wanted to.

"We're... best friends, right? It's not really that important anyway, is it?" he finally said quietly, his eyes sliding from Quickpaw to the ground.

She wanted to yell at him that it was, but right now there wasn't time. If he was seriously hurt, she had to get him back to camp as soon as possible. "Come on," she mumbled. "We have to get back."

"What about… the goldenrod?" Russetpaw struggled to stand up on his paws.

The she-cat rolled her eyes. Even when he was injured, he still didn't want to lie to anyone. She stood beside him to let him lean on her. "C'mon, Mister. We're going home."

* * *

Oh my! What'll happen when they get back?! Well... actually, not even I know that! xD  
So, until next week! Don't forget to review! TTFN! Ta ta for now! 


	7. Chapt 6: The Gathering

Updating gets pretty hard to do for me when I always have stupid math homework to do... Gosh I hate math! .

Anyway, I know it's not Monday but I wasn't able to put it on yesterday because I was too busy doing homework (guess what kind!) and I also have Honor Band to go to. I'll try to be ready next Monday! 3

* * *

  


**Chapter Six  
**

As the two apprentices stumbled back to camp, stiff from their injuries and exhaustion, they were greeted by almost all of Thunderclan. They were pelted with so many questions, their already aching heads felt like they were going to burst.

"You were gone so long! Where have you been?" a familiar voice chimed in with the rest of the clan. It was Whitepaw.

"Enough with the questions!" Quickpaw spat irritably. "Russetpaw needs to get taken care of now!"

Most of the cats backed off, but other stubborn clanmates kept insisting the apprentices tell them where they had been.

"We were just walking around the territory!" Quickpaw finally shouted, trying to get them to just go away.

A flurry of questions flew at the she-cat. "But Russetpaw is hurt!"

"How did it happen?"

"You couldn't have just been strolling around the territory with Russetpaw in that condition!"

The dark ginger tom, who had been silently leaning on his friend's back, awkwardly put his weight on all his paws. "Stop asking her so many questions," Russetpaw mumbled over the remaining cats, his voice steadily getting stronger. "We just got to rough-housing a little too hard, and I hit a tree pretty hard. I got really angry after that and scratched at Quickpaw."

The she-cats and toms seemed to accept this explanation, and dispersed. Lionstar had been listening from the side, and soon walked over to the apprentices. "Really, is that what happened you two?"

"Yes, Lionstar," Russetpaw replied assuredly. Quickpaw just nodded dumbly.

"I see. Well, next time be more careful," the leader reprimanded, "We don't need any injured cats around here right now. Especially with that badger hanging about Snakerocks."

Quickpaw's ears twitched slightly. "Yes, Lionstar."

With a satisfied flick of his tail, the Thunderclan leader trotted off into his den.

"Thanks for covering for me," Quickpaw sighed, sitting down next to her friend. "You're a real pal!" She gave him a friendly pat on the back.

"Oof!" Russetpaw collapsed on the ground dramatically. Quickpaw apologized and took him straight to Goldenpelt.

--

The time finally came when the moon was at its highest. The chosen Thunderclan cats and their leader silently made their way through the forest to Fourtrees. The four ancient oaks loomed over the clearing. They stood tall even in the worst of storms.

Thunderclan was the third clan present at the Gathering. Windclan and Shadowclan hadn't been waiting long; as the Thunderclan cats filed in one by one, they were greeted with quiet nods and an occasional twitch of the tail from the other cats.

_'Wow, my first Gathering!'_ Quickpaw thought excitedly. _'I hope Tailchaser got chosen to come tonight. It won't be as much fun without him here...'_

But time passed and Riverclan had yet to show up. "Where is Riverclan?!" shouted an irritated she-cat.

The clan cats started to grow impatient and annoyed. Suddenly, a magnificent milk-white she-cat with leopard-like markings leaped into the clearing. It was Spottedstar, Riverclan leader. Not long after, the rest of the Riverclan representatives came. Tailchaser was among the group.

The other clan cats yowled their disapproval at the late arrival, but Riverclan acted nonchalant, although they did look stiff.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Spottedstar said, leaping up to where the other three clan leaders sat on the big rock.

Quickpaw loped over to Tailchaser and nuzzled him affectionately when no cat was looking. He seemed very tense to her, almost as if he'd had a near-death experience. She felt a pang of worry for the tom, but proceeded to listen intently to the leaders.

"Why are you so late, Spottedstar?" Lionstar asked.

"We ran across Twolegs almost right outside our camp," the surprisingly composed leader stated.

"Twolegs?!" a young warrior from another clan shouted. "But they rarely come into the forest! What do they want?"

Spottedstar answered, "We don't quite know yet, but they did try to take us all away."

Quickpaw gave Tailchaser a fearful glance. Had someone from his clan been caught and taken away forever? The orange tom simply blinked at her and calmly nodded once, his whiskers twitching.

It was then that Aspentail, the Riverclan medicine cat, took the floor. "Luckily," she reassured the other cats, "no one was caught and we were able to get away."

"But they certainly do seem close to your camp," Ashstar said. "Won't that be troublesome for Riverclan?"

"That… is the point I was about to address…" Spottedstar hesitated. "Lionstar?"

The Thunderclan leader pricked his ears.

Spottedstar 's tail twitched uncomfortably. She wasn't used to asking favors of other clans. "On behalf of all Riverclan… I humbly ask for your help by allowing us to stay in your camp until the Twolegs leave."

Thunderclan warriors started arguing before Spottedstar even finished speaking.

"Why Thunderclan?" a brown tom hissed. "Windclan is just as close to Riverclan as Thunderclan is! Is Riverclan so lazy to walk a few more pawsteps?"

"Windclan has too little space and prey to sustain two clans," Ashstar meowed.

"And you think we have enough in our territory?" Lionstar suddenly snarled.

"No, but you do have more than Windclan, Lionstar," the gray leader responded calmly.

More arguing followed until the Riverclan leader stood up. "We will hunt all we can in our own territory away from the Twolegs and sleep outside your camp if necessary," Spottedstar finally said.

Thunderclan's hackles fell. After much thought, Lionstar mewed a rather reluctant, "You may sleep inside the camp…"

Spottedstar nodded and thanked him, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

"We'll accompany Riverclan to our camp tonight." At that point, the decision was made and other matters were brought up.

The orange warrior and apprentice looked at each other, their eyes glowing.

* * *

Yay! Happiness! For those two at least. Thunderclan and Riverclan might not get along that well... ;

**Tune in next time on... _Earning a Warrior Name!_**

_Rawr. :3_


	8. Short Story Time!

**Quickpaw:** "Hello readers! Hikaru needs a little more time to work on her story; she asked me to entertain you guys while she works. That mousebrain. She's always trying to please people as often as she can. I would just make you guys wait until I was good and ready to share the next chapter of my life with you, but no, she's gotta be--"  
**Hikaru:** -looks up from her writing with dark circles under her eyes- "Quickpaw! I told you to entertain them, not drive them away so they never read this story again!"

**Quickpaw:** "Yikes! Okay okay…" -ears twitch happily- "Tailchaser!"

**Tailchaser:** "HeyQuickpaw, Hikaru!"

**Hikaru:** "What's up Tailchaser?"

**Tailchaser:** "Not much, just checking in on Quickpaw!"

**Quickpaw: ** -purrs- "You're so sweet!

**Tailchaser:** -purrs-

**Hikaru: **"Sure sure. Just tell them a story or something before they leave from boredom… if they haven't already."

**Quickpaw & Tailchaser: **"Hey! We're not boring!"

**Tailchaser:** "How about when we first met?"

**Quickpaw:** "Ooh! That's a great story! I'll tell it, if that's okay with you?"

**Tailchaser:** "No problem."

**Quickpaw:** -nods- "I remember it as if it were yesterday…

**How Quickpaw met Tailchaser**

I was just a kit at the time, not even close to being an apprentice. I was extremely curious at the time (Tailchaser: (-) And you still are!) and I had discovered a way to sneak out of the camp! As I walked in the forest I felt so proud about my striking cleverness.

It wasn't too long before I spotted a lake nearby! The current wasn't strong that day. In fact, it seemed awfully lazy to me. I had heard stories from my mother in the nursery that the river was a border between Thunderclan and Riverclan. 'If you ever cross that border,' Hollytail warned the other kits and me, 'you're then on their territory and they will do whatever they have to do to defend it. Even if it's 

from a curious kit.' I knew she had directed that last sentence at me, for she gave me the most apprehensive stare when she said it.

I knew that I should have turned around and gone straight back to camp when I saw the river, but then an idea hit me. If I boldly crossed the line dividing the two clans, stood there on the other side, and came back, I just knew my father would think I was courageous and fearless; he would love me all the more; maybe even make me an apprentice right there on the spot!

I tested the water with one of my little paws. It wasn't cold; it was quite warm, it being the middle of Greenleaf and all. I took a few steps back and gave myself a running start, plunging into the river like a professional Riverclan cat.

It was then when I started to sink, that my conscious reminded me: I had absolutely no idea how to swim! My mind went blank, and all I could do was yowl 'Help! Help!' and pray to Starclan somebody would save me.

Luckily, Tailchaser, who was back then known as Tail_paw, _had just been turned into an apprentice a couple moons ago. He happened to be on his way to catch some fish for his clan when he heard my cries for help. He immediately leapt in without a second thought and rescued me, pulling me by the scruff of the neck to Thunderclan's side of the river.

My eyes slowly opened and his blurry face soon became crystal clear. 'Am I in Starclan?' I mewed, dazed.

Tailpaw chuckled, curling his tail around him as he sat. 'I hope not or else we're _both_ in quite a fix.'

I sat up quickly and analyzed him from head to tail. He looked like a tom version of me: the amber eyes, orange tabby pelt, and a cheerful and curious aura surrounding him. I could tell he wasn't from Thunderclan. His fur was short and smooth, perfect for swimming, as it would dry quickly. And the way he moved alone not once betrayed his lineage. His lithe movements were almost like that of Starclan, just how Riverclan moves. I felt strange in his presence, but I couldn't name the feeling. All I could say was that I was enamored with him.

'Thank you,' I mumbled, staring at a blade of grass in front of me.



He gave me a satisfied and friendly purr. 'No problem!'

In the distance, I could hear a search party looking for me. 'Quick-kit! Quick-kit! Where are you?' They wouldn't just be livid if they found a Riverclan cat on their territory, much less talking to Lionstar's daughter. I didn't want to think what they would do if they did.

'I have to go.' I started to run off towards the familiar voices, but I stopped when Tailpaw bade me to wait. I turned around, curious as to what the older tom had to say.

'What's your name?'

I smiled at him. 'Quick-kit. But I'll be Quick_paw_ soon!'

Before he jumped back into the water, he told me one more thing. 'I'm Tailpaw. I'll see you some other time!'

_Tailpaw… _With his name engraved forever in my heart, I pranced off into the forest with newly found energy."

--

**Hikaru:** "Wow, that was pretty intense, Quickpaw! You're almost like a poet the way you tell stories!"

**Quickpaw:** "Aw, I just said whatever was on the tip of my tongue, that's all…"

**Tailchaser:** "I don't think I could have told the story any better!"

**Quickpaw & Tailchaser:** -purrs-

**Hikaru:** "I'll be gone from Wednesday to next Tuesday since I'm going on my band trip to Hawaii! But I'll have it ready by the Monday after next Monday! (confusing xD) Quickpaw, Tailchaser, would you like to do the honors?"

**Quickpaw:** "Yup!"

**Tailchaser:** "Of course."

**Quickpaw & Tailchaser:** "See you in two weeks!"


End file.
